2020 Wk 11 - what I made and what I learned

Richmond and Kew quilters has a challenge that started a few months ago - we were given a random animal “pin” badge and were challenged to make an A3 quilt inspired by the pin.

I got a stag: a beautiful beast that we can sometimes see with a herd of deer in Windsor Great Park which is a few miles away.  The park isn’t very distinctive but it incorporates The Long Walk which is very distinctive.  I designed the castle for the embroidery machine to stitch (in two hoopings, that was fun to match up) then added the start of the Great Walk and the trees.  I did try machine stitching the trees but decided to hand stitch instead ...

And here is the ready-apart-from-binding result

My other sewing this week was close to (are you sitting down?) dressmaking.  I had a sweatshirt that was too short.  I bought some extra red fabric and replaced the lower 8 inches of grey with 14 inches or so of red.  I’m rather chuffed with the result

However it’s not perfect and I have learned quite a bit ...

I learned that rather than zigzagging the hem then stitching it down it would have been better to find a double needle and top stitch that way - it would have saved time and would have stopped the hem edge flipping out.

I learnt that it worked well to join the raw edges about 1/2” from the edge, zigzag the raw edges and then top stitch the seam alliance down

And I learnt that sweatshirt fabric has selvedge edges - doh! 🤦🏼‍♀️  I’ll do better next time!

2018 Wk 33 - mostly Rainbows

Just look at these lush threads I used today!

My old Boss has been training to become a Methodist Minister and starts this on 2nd September.  I was honoured to be asked to make him a stole, but then panicked and have procrastinated for several months.  However 2nd if September isn't that far away, so today I pulled on my big girl pants and cut the first two pieces, and embroidered them.  He was a maths teacher before being a Head Teacher and now Minister so a cross made of triangles was ideal for this side.

The other side will be purple, and I'll do a Celtic cross for that side - maybe next weekend!

At the same time as embroidering the rainbows, and Lizzie was embroidering some uniforms, I was sizzixing card pieces for a WW1 project starting next weekend, and sizzixing fabric for Chertsey Museum in a few week's time - my lovely new big desk is only just big enough to hold everything!

These hexies are the start of a rainbow quilt-as-you-go project for Chertsey

I got a bit further with them tonight but they need stitching together still

I also did some patches for aprons for Monty's Popdog stand

And embroidered over 50 pieces of school uniform . . .which made a *bit* of a dent in the pile - just 125 left to go!

And earlier this week I finished hand quilting the last block (Australia) and put together the pieces from my interchange applique.  I decided to make two mini quilts rather than one big one as I only wanted one of each shape on the quilt.  I can't remember how to finish the edges so I'm hoping a R&Q friend will remind me (that's probably you, Plum!)

In case you can't make out the shapes, they are, from top left to bottom right . . .

• Scissors, Boris the skink, Halsnøy Island (south of Bergen), husband's spanner
• Button, wine glass, coffee cup (UK), Mr Twiglet the hedgehog
• Daffodil, Viking ship, Cat (representing the 7 we've had over the years), Tango the rabbit
• EPP Hexies, husband's hammer, sewing machine, coffee cup (Ireland)
• Australia, St Michael's Church, a bee (one of 4: we live at 4B) and a budgie (representing 4 budgies and two+ lovebirds over the years (they were a breeding pair: 14 chicks in total I think)

And the same again, but inverse design, and different placement

 Back to work tomorrow for a rest I think!

2017 Wk 49 - Christmas making

I've been busy using up the black and white scraps from the Black and White and bits of Bright quilt , and have make zippy pouches for colleagues

 Then I pieced the rest to make a bit enough block that I could make a few Pythagoras pouches 

So finally I've got my Christmassy packages ready to post - although maybe they will be New Year packages!!

I've finished a few customer orders (although there are plenty left to do)

And I've actually done something for me!  As we are getting to the season of Christmas jumpers I decided to go with a nativity rather than Rudolph or Santa

And in final random news . . .  its snowing

And the kitties are happy with their quilts

Some gifts in the pipeline

A few days ago I started thinking about some kids I wanted to make presents for.  I'm meeting up with their mum, Hadley, and she is a crafty lady, so I hope I have found some things that are new for them.  I am writing this post in advance of our meeting, but wont post it until Sunday as I don't want her to see before we meet up! (Think I need a pic of a Dr Who type tardis here, as this feels a bit like time travel!)

Hadley is a newcomer to patchwork, but has achieved loads in the last year or so, and is very highly thought of in blogging and patchworking circles.  She writes a very entertaining blog with the bizarre name of Flying Blind On A Rocket Cycle, and she's also very generous with her time and her comments. . . and I am going to meet her, real life, in person :-)

More about our meeting later, more about some gifts now!

I was blog surfing the other day, and found Southern Disposition - a great blog that was new to me.  I'd got to her via Ikea Hacker, and I stayed for ages.  She introduced me to Betsy McCall paper dolls.  These were issued in the 1950s to compliment the McCall girls' dress patterns, and are now available (of course) on the net.  I did some flaffing around to economise on paper, and then printed a few dolls and a whole load of dresses onto magnetic paper and cut them out.

I showed them to Niki to see what she thought and she exclaimed "I remember these" as she reached for them.  In fact the ones that she and Lisa had about 15 years ago were possibly not as good; they certainly had fewer dresses!!!  Hadley had twin daughters aged 4 and I hope that these will be ideal

Anyway, I have cut out one page of dresses, and two dolls

 

and there are more for the kids to cut out themselves (maybe with help from mum)

 

I had a great time with these.  Mum, I'm thinking of a set for India for Christmas, what do you reckon?

I also did a little machine embroidery for a scarf for their brother - so depressing to be embroidering on a fleece scarf this time of year :-(

Blocks for Another Christmas Quilt

How's this for multi-crafting - under the guise of testing my stroppy big embroidery machine ... I have created an embroidery design that makes quick scrappy applique Christmas tree blocks

And they are really quick as , with careful fabric placement, I don't need to do any trimming until I have finished the tree

(I know it looks messy, but wait for the next photo...)

- so with two hoops I can be stitching one and trimming another, or I might gather a whole load and trim them in front of the TV.

I love the style of the trees, and it is using up all the leftovers from the fabrics that were swapped for BQL badges but not needed for the Christmas Candle blocks